Everybody wants to dominate their competition in fantasy football and there is no doubt that seeking advice from the most accurate experts in the industry can help. Fortunately, thanks to our consensus rankings, we’re able to find outliers that could otherwise go unnoticed and with the help of those top experts, provide additional color as to why they’re higher on them than the consensus.
Simply put, we asked our featured pundits below to tell us why they are so high on the names they’ve provided.
Get a FREE FantasyPros upgrade with our special offer
Q. Based on our latest consensus rankings what one player are you much higher on and why?
Kelvin Benjamin (WR – BUF)
Sean’s Rank: WR39 | Consensus: WR45
“Benjamin is not generating much buzz entering draft season and that’s fine because it’s allowing him to be a great value play later in the draft. He is going to be the undisputed #1 option in the passing game on a rebuilding team that may be forced to throw more than they’d like due to negative game scripts. I’m willing to write off Kelvin’s disappointing 2017 as being due to nagging injuries and being traded in-season. He can be had after Round 10 and makes for a fairly safe WR5 that would allow you to take some higher risk gambles with your other bench slots.”
– Sean Koerner (The Action Network)
Sony Michel (RB – NE)
Pat’s Rank: RB20 | Consensus: RB28
“The expenditure of first-round draft capital on a running back is an affront to conventional wisdom, yet the Patriots are widely regarded as the smartest team in the league. It’s clear that others are reconciling this paradox differently than I am, since Sony Michel carries a positional ECR of RB28, 60th overall, while I have him at RB20, 48th overall. For a consistently clever franchise to take a running back in the first round suggests that he will be an important cog in the machinery. Yes, Rex Burkhead and James White will play significant roles, too, but Michel should get 200-250 touches for a powerful team that’s likely to exceed the league average in rushing attempts and TD runs.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)
Aaron Jones (RB – GB)
Justin’s Rank: RB27 | Consensus: RB42
“There are several players finding their way onto the majority of my teams this year, including Kenny Stills, Matt Breida, and Marqise Lee. But there’s one in particular who I’ve ranked higher than any other analyst – Aaron Jones. Investing in talent is always a wise move, and Jones is a SPARQ star who averaged almost 2 more yards per carry than everyman Jamaal Williams and brittle Ty Montgomery in 2017. And if you’re worried about Jones’ two-game suspension, a quick look at Green Bay’s schedule reveals opening matchups against an underrated Bears unit and a menacing Vikings front before softening considerably when Jones returns to the lineup. Capitalize on the current discount and draft a player with RB1 upside in the ninth round.”
– Justin Boone (theScore)
Rishard Matthews (WR – TEN)
Rudy’s Rank: WR16 | Consensus: WR44
“I have Matthews projected as a WR16 vs. the consensus WR44. In the post ‘exotic smashmouth’ era, I expect the Titans to throw more than in years past so Matthews’ projected target share in the low 20’s will produce more volume. His Yards Per Target over the last 3 years has been borderline elite (10.9, 8.8, 9.1) over a solid sample (250 targets). Stability/rapport at the QB and minimal WR competition for snaps/targets are nice as well.”
– Rudy Gamble (Razzball)
Randall Cobb (WR – GB)
Nick’s Rank: WR28 | Consensus: WR38
“I’ll go to bat for Cobb, who many folks would guess is 30 years old as he enters his eighth NFL season. His age-28 campaign will see him serve as the slot man for the highest-drafted QB, Aaron Rodgers, with Davante Adams and Jimmy Graham running downfield with him. Green Bay may finally have a deep stable in the backfield, but this team hinges on Rodgers’ arm, which has the most chemistry with Cobb now that Jordy Nelson is gone. Capitalize on everyone rushing to the shiny new toys by drafting Cobb and getting a piece of Rodgers in the process.”
– Nick Mariano (RotoBaller)
Randall Cobb (WR – GB)
Dan’s Rank: WR30 | Consensus: WR38
“I’m significantly higher on Randall Cobb (30th wide receiver, 72nd overall) than the expert consensus rankings (38th wide receiver, 95th overall), and I’m not sure I understand why. Cobb has quietly been a consistently effective wide receiver with Aaron Rodgers healthy, averaging eight targets and 13 PPR points with Rodgers last year. Over the last two seasons with Rodgers, he’s averaged about five catches and 56 yards per game with Rodgers, and now Jordy Nelson is gone. Simply put, Cobb’s floor should be a WR3 this year, and he could easily develop into a WR2 even without a significant uptick in production.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros)
Lamar Miller (RB – HOU)
Pat’s Rank: RB16 | Consensus: RB23
“Miller was both the PPR- and standard-scoring fantasy RB8 during the six weeks Deshaun Watson started in 2017. Through eight weeks, the Texans had the third-most run-heavy offense during neutral situations and averaged the fourth-most plays per game. With Watson coming off an injury, and their now-healthy defense providing more run-friendly game scripts, we may see Bill O’Brien take an even run-heavier approach. This projects to be the best offense Miller has been a part of, he should enjoy plenty of passing game work, and he’s burned enough fantasy gamers to make him a bargain.”
– Patrick Thorman (Pro Football Focus)
Allen Robinson (WR – CHI)
Jeff’s Rank: WR13 | Consensus: WR19
“Allen Robinson comes in as the consensus WR18 and have him five spots higher on my board at WR13. Sure, he had a disappointing 2016 season and missed almost all of last year with the injury, but Robinson is a target monster with an average on nearly nine targets per game in 2015 and 2016. Bet yet, he has little competition for targets in a Bears offensive that’s likely to be much more exciting this year with Matt Nagy taking over at head coach.”
– Jeff Ratcliffe (Pro Football Focus)
Robby Anderson (WR – NYJ)
Bill’s Rank: WR26 | Consensus: WR34
“Don’t let Anderson’s team trick you into thinking he can’t put up strong stats in fantasy. Yes, he may be on the Jets, but he finished as the WR19 a year ago, one spot ahead of JuJu Smith-Schuster. He offers tremendous value considering his FantasyPros ADP (101st overall and 41st WR off the board) as someone who could essentially be your WR2.”
– Bill Enright (FFChamps)
Robby Anderson (WR – NYJ)
Andy’s Rank: WR15 | Consensus: WR34
“Anderson’s a special talent who made Josh McCown one of the best deep throwers in football last season. Last season he had 6 straight starts inside the top 24, with 3 top 12 finishes. He’s a steal at his current ADP.”
– Andy Holloway (The Fantasy Footballers)
Thank you to the experts for identifying players they like much more compared to the consensus. Please give them a follow on Twitter for more great advice and subscribe/listen to our latest podcast below for more fantasy info.
Practice fast mock drafts with our fantasy football software
Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud | Google Play | TuneIn | RSS